Canada Vignettes: The Egg

This animated short illustrates how at one time horses provided man with unprecedented mobility and how the arrival of the iron horse brought this era to an end.

Historical events are related through the medium of simulated news broadcasting in 1878.

An animated vignette about the role of Thomas Spence in the formation and demise of the Republic of Manitoba at Portage la Prairie in 1867-68.

A humorous account of the pioneering journey of Lady Frances Simpson, along with her piano, from England to Manitoba.

A montage of watercolour images of the work and occasional play of a farm family.

The history of the development of modern logging techniques on the British Columbia coast.

Animated images showing the variety of people who live in Canada.

An animated film depicting the evolution of the City of Toronto from 1749 to 1978.

An examination of the Viking explorers who were the first Europeans to discover Canada.

In this short vignette, skier Kathy Kreiner prepares for and participates in her Olympic gold-medal race at Innsbruck.

Two hundred years ago Captain Cook stopped briefly at Nootka Sound. This animated vignette depicts how he began the sea otter trade which led to the development of the Pacific north west.

This film describes the journey of nomadic Asian people to North America via a land bridge.

This is the story of the first French settlers in North America, who spent their first winter on an island in the Bay of Fundy. Despite overwhelming hardships the survivors, joined by other new colonists, eventually established Port Royal, the foundation of Acadia and the Acadian people.

An animated film about the Hudson's Bay trading post, and the relationship between fur traders and Indians.

This short documentary vignette reveals the curious origin of the name of Flin Flon, Manitoba.

Bill Miner was a train robber in British Columbia at the turn of the century. This animated film depicts a disastrous episode in his career.

This animated short tells a humourous Hebrew folk tale about a man's venture to introduce onions to a far away kingdom and a disreputable man's attempt to exploit that.

A Canadian prairie farm family has a tough beginning on their new farm.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series profiles a unique French-Canadian family, the Fourniers, 12 of whom work as stunt men and women for films.

A short history of one of the traditional dances of Acadia--the quadrille.

The maple leaf on the Canadian flag turns into two profiles that illustrate the many relationships between people.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series features tenor Roger Doucet singing the Canadian national anthem, O Canada, before a hockey game in the Montreal Forum.

There's a "silver lining in every cloud" as Donald O'Neary turns every misfortune his two neighbours can engineer into gold coins. Against the background of the Irish countryside, the customary "rich but dumb" characters meet their match in the "poor but crafty" hero. The story introduces the student to our rich multicultural background through the exploration of folklore of one of the peoples that make up Canada's cultural mosaic.

A Canada Vignette giving a humorous animated version of the history of Fort Prince of Wales from its construction to its capture by the French.

Animated film of a traditional Franco-Manitoban tale that resembles the story of the first Christmas.

A short illustrating Wade Hemsworth's folk song about a woman's admiration for the agility of her boyfriend, the log driver.

A story about two symbolic characters who sway to the song Alouette.

Close-ups of fine detail of the ancient skill of quillwork embroidery--brightly coloured geometric designs on high-ankled, Seneca-type moccasins. These moccasins are over one hundred years old, from the fabled Speyer Collection that was repatriated from Germany by the National Museum of Man in 1975.

The metamorphosis of a map of Canada into human forms who share the natural resources to the rhythm of a dance.

A visual interpretation of the poem "Riverdale Lion" by Canadian poet and essayist John Robert Colombo.

This film promotes, in the best K-Tel tradition, a new device used to speak French.

An animated film showing a woolly mammoth and its offspring. These animals lived on the Canadian tundra over ten thousand years ago.

The decorative pattern style of a traditional Metis coat is explored.

In this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, the camera explores, in exquisite detail, the daily hunt, fishing scenes and children at play as etched in black on an ivory Inuit pipe.

This film is about the emotions that can lead one to take that jump into space necessary for hang gliding with a Delta Plane.

A short history of Canada's greatest sailing ship.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Don Messer, who has since passed away.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Marg Osburne, who has since passed away.

A vignette based on the story of John McIntosh, the Ontario developer of the McIntosh apple.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series depicts the Montreal of 1905-1910 with hand-painted vintage postcards.

This short fiction film tells the love story between a young anglophone and a young francophone who unite their destinies in roller skates.

A vignette on the travelling calliope (also known as steam organ), a musical instrument that produces sound by sending steam through large locomotive whistles.

This animated film illustrates the terrible journey, the back-breaking work, the exotic and gaudy city of Dawson, and the turmoil and triumphs of the 1898 Klondike gold rush.

A vignette exploring the depths of the Arctic Ocean.

A vignette about a 1912 fly-swatting contest organized by The Toronto Daily Star to draw attention to the danger posed to public health by flies. Through archival photographs and newspaper headlines the highlights of the contest are reviewed in a light, humorous manner. The winner, a determined young lady named Beatrice White, killed over 500 000 flies during the six-week contest and was dubbed the "Angel of Death" by the paper.

W.O. Mitchell recounts Newton's Law of Falling Backhouses, a story based on the youthful pranks of his prairie childhood.

This vignette illustrates the variety of professions, people and technical procedures required by the filmmaking process.

Ice cutting on the St. Lawrence River in the 1860s is illustrated in song and animated graphics.

This model-animation vignette takes a humorous look at the theme of transportation.

A vignette using animation and live action to depict mussel farmers digging in the mud through the ice on bays and estuaries in Prince Edward Island.

In this short documentary from the Canada Vignettes series, a Saskatchewan grain elevator is moved across the snow-covered prairie to a new home after nearly a half-century of use. The film follows the lifting and transporting of the 9-storey, 200-ton structure, and examines the feelings of the people as they witness the final passing of their town's one and only grain elevator.

A much-needed boost, in the form of a new factory, is promised to the residents of the tiny fishing village St. Marie-La-Mauderne, provided they can lure a doctor to take up full-time residency on the island. Inspired, the villagers devise a scheme to make Dr. Christopher Lewis a local.

To amuse themselves during the winter school break, the kids in a small village decide to have a massive snowball fight. Luke and Sophie, both 11 years old, become the leaders of the opposing sides. Sophie and her cohort defend an elaborate snow fort against the assault of Luke’s horde. Whichever side occupies the fort at the end of the winter break, wins. But what starts out as pure youthful fun and enthusiasm deteriorates into a more serious conflict. Joy is restored when all the children decide to attack the fort rather than each other and happily destroy every last bit of the snow fort.

Bernard, an accountant in an upscale jewellery store, suffers from daily psychological abuse by his boss Vendôme. Thanks to his pal Robert, also victim of harassment by this cruel man, Bernard will toy with the consequence of a well-deserved retaliation at the expense of his boss. However, as not everything is perfect in this world, Bernard will also have to experience the sometimes less pleasant after effects of this ruthless act of revenge.

Five years after the death of their mother, Rémi, Mathieu and Christian have not changed much. Rémi is still as prolific and travels the world, multiplying his conquests, Mathieu leads a relatively peaceful life with his daughters and his wife and Christian lives off his brothers, hoping to find the perfect partner and finally settle down. When Rémi is kicked out of his house by his wife who discovers his infidelity and he suffers a panic attack, his brothers come to his rescue. Despite their different lifestyles, Rémi, Mathieu and Christian will try to help each other in order to form the united family that their mother would have wanted for them.

An unemployed doctor turned cab driver becomes a local hero when he converts his taxi into a mobile clinic.

Paul Bougon ignites social media networks and public opinion after his brief participation in a television program. Having become an instant celebrity thanks to his outspokenness, he decides to go into politics and founds his own party. With the help of his devoted entourage and at the head of the PEN (Parti de l’Écœurement National) [National Disgust Party], he wins the elections and becomes Premier. The challenges of his new career place him in front of heartbreaking choices.

An 11 year old boy pays a farewell visit to his estranged father. What ensues is a strained and inappropriate, but heartfelt exchange between a father and son whose paths have crossed for the briefest of moments and likely won't again for a long time.